Saturday, October 19, 2013

Milan 1, Udinese 0: Sweet Victory

The writing was in the stars. Milan were crumbling faster
than the Roman Empire. After only 8 points in 7 games in the league, an
inexcusable draw vs. Ajax in the Champions League, losing to both Ligue 2 side
Caen and our very own Primavera in friendlies just this week, the boys had been
ordered into ritiro to try to
regroup. A couple of more big injuries causing us to lose both Balotelli and
then Abbiati last minute, and the prospect of facing any team seemed
formidable. But with Kaka’s first match back at the San Siro since 2009 and
Gabriel’s debut in goal, it was either going to go very, very poorly, or by
some unknown magic, it would end well. So for all of those reasons and more,
Birsa’s singular goal victory became that much more sweet. And the win would go a long way to restore the faith, hope, and dreams of Milan fans everywhere.

miracle.

Let’s not get carried away. On any given day last season,
this performance would have been considered poor. The passing was very poor,
the play seemed disjointed at times, and the tackles were sloppy. But it was
the drive and the hunger that kept us in the game and ultimately allowed the
win. Maybe they just didn’t feed the boys in ritiro, I don’t know. But they were definitely hungry. So what they
lacked in skill, they made up for in sheer determination.

First, let’s talk Gabriel. After a great second half
performance against Caen on Sunday, some fans were suggesting he replace
Abbiati as our number one. I’m assuming they were younger than my children,
because not even they would suggest such a thing. Gabriel is clearly very
talented, but if you’ve watched him for Brazil or even with the Primavera, he
is still young and inconsistent. His moments of brilliance should not be
mistaken for World Class Keeper… at least not yet. And it must be remembered
that his mistakes are undoubtedly going to be more frequent and facepalm-ish
than a more established keeper. But still, Amelia was right to worry about his
second spot.

hope.

Tonight, he wasn’t overly tested, but did very, very well
when called upon. He was very nervous, especially in the first half, so it’s
good that Di Natale didn’t really introduce himself to him until the second half,
about the 54th, I think. The young keeper settled in well enough and came up
big in the 64th and 65th, amongst other times. It is impossible to judge a
keeper on one game, but I hope that he gets a chance to prove himself, he seems
to be ready.

The goal came in the 22nd, just 2 minutes after Pinzi had
somehow avoided a red card for a nasty studs up challenge from behind into
Birsa’s knees. Pinzi got the yellow, but Birsa did not get justice from the
ref. So he took matters into his own hands, dribbled the ball halfway up the
pitch, passed it to Robinho, who passed it right back for him to shoot it into
the top right corner. Goal. 1-0 Milan.

dreams.

A lot of players played poorly, and I don’t know if I could
honestly and fairly choose a man of the match. But it should be noted that Kaká
came on and was incredibly motivated and looked much better than his initial
appearance this season. On the flip side, one has to ask the question, “How is
Matri still starting?” Because injuries is not enough of an answer. The man
can’t hold the ball, he can’t pass the ball, he can’t receive the ball, and he
certainly can’t shoot. Unless it is Allegri’s tactical plan to play a
4-3-1-1-placeholder, it is inexcusable. Also, I think his inability to score is
wearing off on Niang, and I fear for his playing time because he simply cannot
get the ball into the back of the net.

In the list of positive appearances, Robinho worked very
hard and created a lot of chances. He also got a yellow card for fighting with
Allan in the 81st, but he doesn’t do that often. Unlike Muntari, who earned his
in the 52nd for trying not to kill Pereyra (yet,) or Montolivo, who earned his
obligatory yellow in the 25th. But back to the positives, Poli had a lot of
great moments and almost-goals, even if he was also a little invisible at
times. But I basically give everyone else a free card this time, the win was
such a pleasant surprise.

faith.

The Curva, on the other hand, does NOT get a free card from
me. After having a stadium ban already suspended so fans could even be at the
San Siro at all tonight, and with the issue of territorial discrimination
already hanging in the balance, some fans sang “We Are Not Neo**itans.” So
yeah, expect a stadium ban. I hope Galliani hunts each one of them down and
charges them individually for whatever the ensuing fine is.

Other than the poor behavior of some of the fans, the
victory was so very sweet. A much needed victory for the faith and hopes and
dreams of all of the fans, and the confidence of the entire team. Even more
important on the brink of the Champions Leaguematch with Barcelona on Tuesday. One goal to bring a smile back to Milan
fans, to give us three very precious points, and to teach the Milan players to
believe in themselves again. Very sweet, indeed.

This post inspired by the music
ofDanny Elfman’s “The Nightmare Before
Christmas”